Simply A-Maze-ing!

October brings Autumn Alabama memories to my mind, trick or treatin’ and pumpkin seeds, haunted houses and Halloween carnivals, rolling yards (see my earlier blog) and giant cardboard box mazes!  Okay, I know you were with me until the maze thing, but honestly one of my most vivid and awesome memories centers on the monumental task of building a giant refrigerator box maze in our church gymnasium every October.

Our Associate Pastor was a rather innovative fun-loving California dude with unkempt hair and a need to tell stories to everyone he met.  Oftentimes he would repeat these stories as the listener pretended that it was being told for the first time.  After all, we didn’t want to hurt his feelings.  Anyway, one Fall back in the 1980s, he came up with an ingenious plan to construct a very large maze out of large cardboard appliance boxes and massive amounts of duct tape.  He decided this would be accomplished best in the church’s gymnasium.  Since I was part of the volunteer leadership at this point in history, I earned the opportunity to work my tail off during the construction phase of the maze.  However, when all was said and done my time-sheet was not nearly as impressive as others who worked on the project.

The result of this labor of love was quite impressive.  It was a rather complex enclosure of twists and turns that confused many youth during the October weeks.  It went up and over itself.  It went in circles.  It went everywhere it could go in that church gymnasium.  Of course there were those who occasionally panicked and screamed at the top of their lungs to be removed from this torture chamber.  Anticipating this situation we had built in emergency exits where these frightened individuals could be pulled to freedom by one of the maze monitors.  We also had fans blowing fresh air into the maze at various locations.

All in all it was truly an experience I will never forget.  I don’t think I have seen anything like it since.  Hmmm, maybe it’s time for the maze to be reborn…or, maybe not.

From my desktop to yours…did I mention that I used to help the girls find their way through the maze?  Hey, I wasn’t married yet and besides, it was the nice thing to do, right?  After all, it was really dark in there, and they could have been scared.  Okay, so maybe they thanked me once or twice.  Hmmm, no wonder I remember the maze so fondly.

From my desktop to yours, it’s another Alabama memory.

One of my Favorite Toys

When I was growing up in northern Alabama there were many new and innovative toys that crossed my path.  However, none of them were quite as simple and eloquent and the infamous set of “clackers!” 

We used to play with these for hours at a time.  The best of us could get the two hard acrylic marble-looking balls to smash into each other above and below our fingers at amazing rates of speed.  Of course, the faster you got them going the louder the noise!  That made it even more fun!

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  When several kids started receiving injuries from these clackers, they were removed from the marketplace.  I could have sworn I heard a collective sigh of relief from parents and educators throughout the United  States when this happened.  I think this toy redefined annoying and obnoxious to the adult world.  But, in my world, they redefined fun!

From my desktop to yours, it’s another Alabama memory!

A New Day, An Old Dog

Can an old dog learn new tricks?  We’ll soon find out!  It’s not that I am old really, or a dog.  Although I am sure that the overused metaphor was well within the grasp of any who would venture here.  Still there are days when the temperature outside climbs well above my comfort zone that I feel like an old dog.  Those are days when my front porch rocker beckons me to sit and gaze at the setting sun, the culprit of the days suffering, and bid a victorious goodbye as it disappears beyond the mountains.  Of course, I don’t have a front porch, and I can’t see any mountains from where I live, not to mention that the heat of the day continues well into the night right now.  Oh well, so much for that Alabama memory.

So, the question remains, can an old dog learn new tricks?  I believe the answer to be an unequivocal and resounding “Yes!”  The condition lies in whether the old dog wants to learn new tricks.  That, of course, will have to be determined over the course of time, as the old dog gets even older, Lord willing.  So, on this very fine, sweltering, dust-ridden day in July, I join the younger generation of my world, and I become a blogger, an old dog learning new tricks.  At least in my mind’s eye that’s what I see.  Ah!  But perhaps I cannot see beyond the mountains that do not exist as I gaze from my imaginary front porch at the setting sun (did I mention it’s almost 9:30 in the morning?).  Perhaps it is not the younger generation that fills the countless blogs of the world.  Perhaps it is old dogs like myself, realizing that life disappears pretty fast, and it sure would be nice to have a place to talk about it, reflect on it, and share it.  Maybe it’s not the tricks that the old dog needs to learn; maybe it’s time for the trainer to learn a few things.

Well, at least it sounds good.

From my desktop to yours, it’s another Alabama memory.